Purple martins arrive from South America

Photo by Cameron Rognan from allaboutbirds.org. A female (left) and male purple martin sit on the edge of a martin house.

Purple martins begin arriving well before the "normal" spring breeding season in North America from their wintering grounds in South America, showing up as early as mid-January or February to set up nest sites. In the western United States, purple martins continue to nest in their natural homes - woodpecker holes in snags. In the eastern US, martins nest almost exclusively in human-built homes, everything from natural and plastic gourds to big "apartment" style houses.

Martins frequent open pinewoods, fields, parks, lakes and rivers, and other open areas along forest edges. Martins begin to congregate in large flocks on the Gulf coast around July, preparing for their fall migration that begins in September.

Traditional martin houses usually will not be at full occupancy because martins do not want to nest right next door to each other. A pole with many gourds provides martins the individual space they want for nesting, while still offering them colony life. The larger space inside a gourd allows martins to raise more young (they can lay between 3-8 eggs) and stay safe from owls or hawks when they try to reach their talons into the entrance hole and grab a meal. Whatever type of housing you provide for martins, a predator baffle should be installed on the pole to keep snakes, especially gray rat snakes, at bay.

Purple martins are aerial hunters related to swallows, flying up to 150 feet or higher while foraging for insects. Contrary to popular belief, martins do not eat many mosquitoes. They prefer to hunt large flying insects like dragonflies. Martins also drink on the wing, skimming over ponds and scooping up water with their lower bill.

Americans have a long history of putting up martin houses; in the 1800's, John James Audubon chose his own lodgings based on the quality of the martin lodgings put out by the inn. People continue to welcome these beautiful iridescent birds to their gardens today. Their melodious chattering will keep you company throughout the summer as they come and go, feeding their young with insects they caught flying high in the sky.

Vanessa Walthall received a BS in wildlife ecology at the University of Florida and is employed by Native Nurseries.

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Purple martins arrive from South America

Purple martins begin arriving well before the 'normal' spring breeding season in North America from their wintering grounds in South America, showing up as early as mid-January or February to set up